If You'd Only Care
by YouThinkYouNoeMe
Summary: [Finished] After winning the TNA Heavyweight Title, Christian runs into Trish... CharactersPairing: Trish StratusChristian


**Title: If You'd Only Care **

Rating: PG

**Warnings:Mild Language **

Characters/Pairing: Trish Stratus/Christian

Summary: After winning the TNA Heavyweight Championship, Christian bumps into Trish...

Notes: This story was written in response to a challenge sent to me by Kayla. Title and any lyrics appearing within the story are from the song 'Goodbye My Lover' by James Blunt.

_"It's for the best, Trish," he reasoned softly. "There's nothin' left for me here..."_

_Chocolate orbs stared pitifully up at him, tearing at his heart. No, they weren't together. Hadn't been for a year. But he stilled loved her unlike he'd ever loved a single other person in his life. He avoided her all week, but it was useless. He knew eventually, he would have to face that heartbreaking gaze._

_"Don't you think it's worth it, Jay? To put up with what's handed to you for awhile... it pays off in the end," she argued. Her case was weak and she knew it. But she wanted to believe it. She wanted _him_ to believe it._

_"It's been eight years, Trish. I can't do this anymore," he said sadly. "It's all finalized anyway... I turned in my resignation papers... Jarrett already gave me an offer for TNA."_

_Trish nodded, "Yeahh, I know."_

_They fell into silence, both aware of the heat circulating between them. Jay's mouth fell open, but no words emerged. Perhaps there were no words left. Trish swallowed hard, stepping towards him._

_"I... I'll miss you."_

_Jay bit his tongue, his lips twisting into a bittersweet smile. He lightly patted her arm and walked away, leaving a teary-eyed Trish behind. It was too hard to say goodbye..._

That was the last time she spoke to him. The next morning, he was gone. And a few weeks later, he signed with TNA. It was the last time she saw him...

Until tonight.

It was a rare occasion for her to go out after a show. The bar scene wasn't for her. But Stacy insisted she join her, and after awhile her leggy friend was too hard to ignore. The pair had entered the bar together, but soon distanced themselves... Stacy ran off to the dance floor with some metrosexual Orton lookalike, leaving Trish to fend for herself at the bar.

She noticed him as soon as she stepped up to the bar. Despite the angle at which she was positioned from him allowing her to see only his profile, she knew it was him. Her heart skipped a familiar beat, and her stomach fell in unison. There he was, laughing and chatting with a group of men she recognized as TNA competitors. A twinge of jealousy... or maybe it was hurt... passed through her as she noticed the sparkle in his eyes.

He looked so happy... happier then she'd seen in a long while. She couldn't blame him. He had a whole new life, a new job... not to mention that shiny Heavyweight Championship he'd recently won. Jay Reso was living the good life.

She paid for her drink and quickly hurried to a booth lodged in a secluded corner of the bar, sitting alone. Just her and her margarita. When several minutes passed in silence, Trish eased into her seat. She should've known better.

"Wanna tell me what you're doin' hiding all the way in the corner like a wallflower?"

What was left of her stomach flip-flopped. Trish couldn't stop her expressive brown eyes from widening. And as she made eye contact with those deep pools of blue, her breath caught in her throat. Like nothing had ever changed.

"Jay..." she began shakily, working hard to conceal her feelings. "H-hi..." She stared at him with a desperate gaze, her eyes begging him for a sign of any type.

Despite his cool exterior, Jay's heart thumped wildly in his chest. From the instant he layed eyes on her from across the bar, memories and moments flashed through his mind. He didn't want to speak to her. He knew doing so would only open the flood gates to all the emotions he'd been suppressing since the day he left WWE. But as it always had been in the past, something drew him to Trish, compelling him to approach her.

The uneasiness in her eyes was plain. Trish did nothing to conceal her discomfort with his presence. His heart sank as she blinked repeatedly, trying to wash the glassiness out of her heartbroken eyes. He never wanted to do this to her. Guilt surged through him, and it took every ounce of power in him not to turn on his heel and run. He never should have approached her...

_Did I disappoint you, or let you down?_

_Should I be feeling guilty, or let the judges frown?_

The tugging sensation that gripped his chest did not fade as the seconds slowly ticked by. His blue orbs sent an unreadable gleam. Before she realized what she was doing, Trish motioned for him to sit. Taken back by her request, Jay swallowed hard. After a brief and awkward pause, he pulled the chair out and joined her.

"So..." he began, his breath catching in his throat as their eyes met. It had been solong since he'd seen that face. Too long. "How've you been?"

He hated being so casual with her. They were far past casual. But he was so unsure of what to say. What was acceptable and what was off limits had become blurred, leaving them in an incredibly awkward, yet somehow comforting situation. After a harsh moment of silence, Trish quickly snatched her drink, taking a long and slow sip. After practically downing the entire margarita, she felt slightly better. Just slightly. Turning her head to him, she forced a crooked smile.

"I've been okay. Things are good," she said. Shaking her head lightly, she glanced at him curiously. "But hey, nothing's new with me. How've you been, Mr. Heavyweight Champ?"

Jay's eyes lit up at the mention of his newly achieved championship status. The reaction was automatic. A moment later though, to Trish's surprise, his gaze fell. He bowed his head, his eyes darting away.

"It's everything I've ever dreamed of," he said firmly, but Trish couldn't help but think it was half-hearted. The gleam that shone through his eyes just moments ago vanished. She could sense the tension in his shoulders as he shifted in his chair.

"But..." she egged him on, fully aware that there was more to his story.

His eyes shot up, and he stared at her in amazement. She could still read him like a book. He loved and hated that about her. Even well after they had broken up, she could still sense his anger, his happiness... his uncertainty.

"Don't get me wrong, Trish, I love it here," he said sincerely, shaking his head. "The people are great. The atmosphere is such a relief compared to the chaos I'm used to. And having someone _finally_ have the faith in me to carry a belt like this... it's amazing..."

"But," she repeated, this time more emphatically. Her gaze locked with his.

"There are just certain things that I miss," he explained, his eyes drifting again. Then, he lowered his tone, almost to a whisper, and finished, "...Certain people."

Trish's eyes widened at his statement, and she was thankful he didn't notice. His face was stoic, unreadable, but she knew exactly what he meant. His soft-spoken words cut right through her skin to her wildly beating heart. 'Certain people' were _her_. He missed her.

As quickly as she allowed herself to entertain the thought, she abandoned it. The hopefulness that passed through her disappated, substituted by hurt, and possibly anger. If he missed her so much, he sure had a funny way of dealing with it. Months had passed without a phone call, an email, anything.

"You never even said goodbye," she noted, her eyes finally dropping as well. "I was devastated when you left, Jay, and you just walked away."

Jay mouth twisted into a frown. He never intended leaving her the way he did, and he certainly hadn't forgotten it. In fact, their final encounter before this evening rested in his mind much more then he cared to let on to.

"I... I know, Trish," he admitted, his eyes filling with regret. "But I couldn't do it. I couldn't say goodbye."

He hated goodbyes in general. They were too concrete. Too final. He knew that saying goodbye to Trish would force him to accept the fact that, much like his career in WWE, they were really over. He wasn't ready to make her part of his past. _It may be over, but it won't stop there..._

"You couldn't say goodbye?" she repeated, somewhat in disbelief. "After all we've been through, you just left me behind without a word because you didn't want to say anything?" She paused, her brown eyes suddenly flaring with anger. "If you were so upset about having to say goodbye to me, then why didn't you keep in touch? Do you have any idea how much I've thought about you since you left? How many times I've wondered what you were doing, if you were okay? You could've called, Jay. You could've at least sent me a damn text message."

"The phone works both ways, Trish," he said flatly. Her outburst should have angered him. She was being a hypocrite. Instead, though, he was calm. "I feel awful for the way I left, trust me. You think I'm not thinkin' about you all the time? You could've called too, ya know."

Trish stared at him in silence. She knew he was right. She'd put no effort in trying to contact him, either. She was too afraid. Afraid he wouldn't care to speak to her, or that he'd be too enveloped in his new career to make time for her. Afraid that he might have forgotten her. _And as you move on, remember me. Remember us and all we used to be._ She supposed that she was wrong. She had a tendency to cling to everything Jay said, and his comment about thinking of her did not go unnoticed.

"Okay, okay," Jay said, understanding after a long silence that their conversation was going nowhere fast. "You gonna be in town for a few days?"

Trish's expression changed instantly. Her eyes narrowed, and she stared at him, confusion filling those big brown eyes.

"What?" she asked him incredulously. When he didn't elaborate, she answered, "Till Wednesday..."

"Trish, regardless of what I didn't say when I left, I miss you. I miss you a lot," Jay explained. "Let me take you somewhere tomorrow. Lunch, dinner, the zoo... I don't care. I'd like to spend time with you... for old time's sake."

Her heart skipped a beat, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she simply nodded, her eyes a bit tentative. Jay smiled, glancing down at his watch. When he realized how late it was, and how much time he'd spent sitting with Trish, his eyes widened. He had to be up in three-and-a-half hours. As if on cue, he yawned, his arms stretching out.

"I have to go," he said sadly, his gaze resting on her again. "I... I'll call you tomorrow?" He started to rise from his chair.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that," Trish said in agreement, standing as well.

The two rose at the same time, their eyes locked. After a brief silence, Jay extended his arms to her. Trish welcomed his embrace, enveloping herself in his arms. She sighed against his chest, hugging him tightly. She craned her neck, tilting her head back so she could see him. Jay smiled down at her, boldly moving his lips to hers. He kissed her lips, gently, and only for a second, but it made Trish's knees weak.

They broke apart moments later, and Jay slowly walked away. As he made his way out the door, he turned back to her, winking over his shoulder. Trish smiled, waving goodbye. This time, she was much more content in watching him walk away.

She didn't know where tomorrow would take them, but she knew it was far from over. And so were they.

**THE END.**


End file.
